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Saturday, December 31, 2011

5 India Positive stories we understated in 2011

The New Year ushers in a vibrant and an exciting year ahead. It is also a time where the majority of the people look to recharge themselves for the challenges ahead. The past year was a year that was filled with major events and it was also a year where some of us missed some of the significant yet understated events of 2011. Sometimes at the end of the present year, it helps us to reflect and try to look at some India positive stories that were camouflaged in between the gamut of popular news.

Indian Army's rising might:

The Indian military had a significant year last year. Strategically, it had empowered its military base in order to compete with the regional powers in Asia. According to the 2011 report by weapons watchdog SIPRI, India is the largest military weapons importer in the year accounting for 9% of the international weapons market between 2006 and 2010. In addition, India is planning to spend $80 billion in expenditures till 2015 including acquisition of sea vessels as part of the purchases.

The "Jugnu" Technological invention by the youth:

One of the significant technological achievements in the past year is the nano satellite Jugnu that has been developed by the students in the mechanical engineering department at IIT Kanpur. The satellite weighs only 3 kg and is distinguished as one of the tiniest nano satellite's that exists today in the world. Since the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) does not have an ejection system for weights less than 10kg, the students designed it from scratch to achieve this milestone. After going through intense tests, it was approved thus making a significant stride in the world of space technological enterprise.
Sports besides cricket do win big:

We won the gold medal in Kabaddi World Championship this year and more recently Shiva Kesavan also got the gold in the Luge event in the Asian cup in Japan this year. Well, luge is a sport and I didn't misspell the world. Kesavan's achievements were noticed but largely overshadowed by the cricket phobia country. In addition to this, the archery team performed creditably with the trio of Deepika Kumari, Chekrovolu Swuro and Laishram Bombayala Devi finished runners up in the recently concluded World Championships

Dr Devi Pratap Shetty's Economist Honour:

The Economist magazine honored Dr Shetty for his tremendous contribution to Indian health care by giving him the Innovation award. Even though he is one of the most celebrated surgeons in India, one of his major accomplishments has been his ability to provide cost effective medication to the larger sections of society. He has performed more than 15,000 heart surgeries and charges a meager $2,000 per surgery while his contemporaries in the US charge anywhere between $20,000 to $100,000. With an astute use of technology and modern equipment's, he has reduced the cost to the common man without any compromise on the quality of the treatment.

Jana Gana Mana @100:

Our symbolic and poignant National anthem completed a century this December 27th. While India awaits Sachin's 100th century every minute, barely do we hear about the mentioning of the 100 years of the national anthem. The great poet Tagore performed this song in the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1911, it was the dawn of the most revered piece of art that the nation has ever seen. There is no other piece of musical masterpiece that has traversed a century yet retains its reach across the masses. Even today, when we stand up for our national anthem, the music is soul stirring and resonates across Indians all over the world.

Whats the point of all these stories? The point is simple. Even though the news provides us information, sometimes it is required to look beyond the news to carve out the gems that go under the gamut of popular news. Since there is so much news and information, the ability to pick out real events that do not gain headlines is sometimes nonexistent. News is what we seek rather than what is fed to us and it helps to look beyond the lens to ensure we don't miss some of the best news stories. Let's hope that happens in 2012.